Jack Gelineau

Jack Gelineau
Born (1924-11-11)November 11, 1924
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Died November 12, 1998(1998-11-12) (aged 74)
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Height 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight 180 lb (82 kg; 12 st 12 lb)
Position Goaltender
Caught Left
Played for Boston Bruins
Chicago Black Hawks
Playing career 1949–1954

John Edward "Jack" Gélineau BEM (November 11, 1924 in Toronto, Ontario – November 12, 1998 in Montreal, Quebec) was a Canadian ice hockey goaltender. He played in the National Hockey League with the Boston Bruins and Chicago Black Hawks between 1948 and 1954. He won the Calder Memorial Trophy in 1950 as the best rookie player in the NHL. Before playing in the NHL, Gélineau served in the Second World War and was awarded the British Empire Medal for actions in 1944.

Playing career

During the Second World War, Gélineau played for the Montreal and Toronto RCAF hockey teams. He was awarded the British Empire Medal (BEM) for gallantry after surviving a 1944 plane crash and rescuing an injured crewman from the burning plane that was loaded with ammunition.[1]

After the war, Gélineau played in net with the Montreal Jr. Royals in 1944–45.

In 1945–46, Gélineau entered McGill University and graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce in 1949.

He starred in goal at McGill for four seasons, racking up a 40–16–1 overall record with a 3.14 goals against average. He also played intermediate basketball, football and varsity baseball which resulted in a tryout with the Boston Red Sox. The last McGill goalie named team captain, Gélineau backstopped the Redmen to the 1946 Queen's Cup championship. He was the first recipient of the Forbes Trophy as McGill's male athlete of the year in 1948.

That spring, he was called up to the Boston Bruins in the National Hockey League, becoming the first goalie in 30 years to play in the NHL while still attending university (two decades later, Ken Dryden duplicated this feat while studying law at McGill and playing for the Montreal Canadiens). He won the Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHL's top rookie in 1949–50 but was unable to capitalize on his early potential. Despite his successful debut, he could not get a raise out of the Bruins manager Art Ross. He took up a position with Sun Life Insurance in Montreal, though continued to play senior hockey over the next three seasons with the Quebec Aces in the Quebec Senior Hockey League, including two appearances with the Chicago Black Hawks in 1953–54. Gélineau retired in 1955.[1]

Gélineau died on November 12, 1998, one day after his 74th birthday. He is buried at the National Field of Honour in Pointe-Claire, Quebec.[1]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP W L T Min GA SO GAA GP W L Min GA SO GAA
1943–44 Toronto Young Rangers OHA 11 1 9 1 680 58 1 5.12 — — — — — — —
1943–44 Toronto Cil TMHL 4 0 4 0 240 22 0 5.50 — — — — — — —
1943–44 Toronto RCAF TNDHL 7 5 2 0 420 21 1 3.00 1 0 1 60 3 0 3.00
1944–45 Montreal RCAF MCHL 8 — — — 480 24 0 3.00 5 — — 300 28 0 5.60
1944–45 Montreal Jr. Royals QJHL 5 2 3 0 300 19 3 3.80 9 2 7 528 43 0 4.96
1945–46 McGill University MCHL 15 13 2 0 900 52 1 3.47 — — — — — — —
1946–47 McGill University MCHL 16 10 5 1 960 45 1 2.81 — — — — — — —
1947–48 McGill University MCHL 20 14 6 0 1200 62 1 3.10 — — — — — — —
1948–49 McGill University MCHL 6 3 3 0 360 20 0 3.33 — — — — — — —
1948–49 Boston Bruins NHL 4 2 2 0 240 12 0 3.00 — — — — — — —
1949–50 Boston Bruins NHL 67 22 30 15 4020 220 3 3.28 — — — — — — —
1950–51 Boston Bruins NHL 70 22 30 18 4200 197 4 2.81 4 1 2 260 7 1 1.62
1951–52 Quebec Aces QSHL 12 6 4 2 740 42 0 3.41 12 8 4 739 28 1 2.27
1952–53 Quebec Aces QSHL 21 8 9 4 1300 59 1 2.72 21 13 8 1303 51 1 2.35
1953–54 Quebec Aces QHL 57 24 27 6 3466 158 5 2.74 14 — — 840 26 4 1.86
1953–54 Chicago Black Hawks NHL 2 0 2 0 120 18 0 9.00 — — — — — — —
1954–55 Quebec Aces QHL 11 4 7 0 640 38 1 3.56 4 1 3 240 14 0 3.50
NHL totals 143 46 64 33 8580 447 7 3.13 4 1 2 260 7 1 1.62

Awards and achievements

References

  1. ^ a b c Fischler, Stan (March 3, 2020). "Gelineau went from Calder Trophy winner to insurance agent". NHL.com. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
Preceded by Winner of the Calder Memorial Trophy
1950 		Succeeded by